CVE-2009-1537 — Microsoft DirectX NULL Byte Overwrite Vulnerability

Triage

Is it exploited, how likely is exploitation, what does it touch, and how severe do the sources call it.

CISA SSVC assessment CISA

Three decision points CISA publishes for the CVEs it assesses (SSVC 2.0.3). A stakeholder decision, not a severity score.

Remediation

Fixes and mitigations documented by the sources — linked to the original advisory.

• Documented patch — www.microsoft.com (NIST National Vulnerability Database)

CISA required action CISA

Apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.

US federal deadline: Jun 3, 2026 — passed 134 day(s) ago

First 24 hours

Ordered from the record’s own fields — exposure first, because you cannot patch what you have not found. A rule-generated starting point.

1. Identify exposed assets running the affected vendor/product/version combinations (Microsoft Directx, Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows 2003 Server…).
2. Treat as emergency remediation: the CVE is in CISA KEV (confirmed exploitation).
3. The attack is network-based and needs no privileges: restrict exposure (ACLs, VPN, WAF) until patched.
4. Apply the fixed version or the patch documented under Remediation.
5. Exploitation requires user interaction: tighten email/web filtering and warn affected users.
6. EPSS ahead of 99% of scored CVEs: prioritize it in the patch queue.
7. Search available logs for exploit probes, errors and authentication anomalies.

Affected scope

Vendor, product and versions as the sources word them.

Attack characteristics

The CVSS vector, decoded. It describes the attack, not your exposure to it.

Every base score collected

Sources score independently and may disagree; each row says who scored it and under which version.

Weakness MITRE

Weakness class according to MITRE’s CWE catalog.

CWE-158

Other CVEs with this weakness →

CISA KEV details CISA

CISA lists a CVE once it has evidence of exploitation against real targets.

CISA records ransomware use only for campaigns it has confirmed, so “Unknown” means unrecorded, not ruled out. The deadline binds US federal agencies; for everyone else it is a reference date.

EPSS over time FIRST

Oct 12, 2026 → Oct 14, 2026 · 3 reading(s) · max 51.21%

Detection

Read off the CVSS vector and the weakness class. Starting points, not tested rules.

• Prioritize edge telemetry for the network-reachable component (proxy, WAF, IDS/IPS).
• Hunt retroactively in logs from before May 20, 2026 (KEV listing): exploitation may have started earlier.

Timeline

What happened to this CVE, newest first.

• 2026
• SSVC assessment updated
  Oct 13, 2026 · CVE Program (cve.org) e CISA ADP
• Record published
  Oct 13, 2026
• Fix documented
  Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
• Affected products added · microsoft/directx, microsoft/windows 2000, microsoft/windows 2003 server, microsoft/windows server 2003, microsoft/windo
  Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
• CVSS changed · 8.8
  Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
• Source status changed · → Analyzed
  Oct 13, 2026 · NIST National Vulnerability Database
• Added to CISA KEV (detected)
  Oct 13, 2026 · CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
• Record created in this database
  Oct 13, 2026 · CISA Known Exploited Vulnerabilities
• Added to CISA KEV catalog
  May 19, 2026 · CISA
• 2009
• CVE published
  May 29, 2009 · microsoft

Source activity

Repeated readings are counted rather than listed.

• 2× References added · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026
• 1× Official description updated · Oct 13, 2026 – Oct 13, 2026

References

16 on the record

• blogs.technet.com/srd/archive/2009/05/28/new-vulnerability-in-quicktime-parsing.aspx
  Vendor Advisory, x_refsource_CONFIRM, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• secunia.com/advisories/35268
  Vendor Advisory, third-party-advisory, x_refsource_SECUNIA, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• blogs.technet.com/msrc/archive/2009/05/28/microsoft-security-advisory-971778-vulnerabil
  Vendor Advisory, x_refsource_CONFIRM, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/1886
  Vendor Advisory, vdb-entry, x_refsource_VUPEN, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• docs.microsoft.com/en-us/security-updates/securitybulletins/2009/ms09-028
  Vendor Advisory, vendor-advisory, x_refsource_MS, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• www.vupen.com/english/advisories/2009/1445
  Vendor Advisory, vdb-entry, x_refsource_VUPEN, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/971778.mspx
  Patch, Vendor Advisory, x_refsource_CONFIRM, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• www.cisa.gov/known-exploited-vulnerabilities-catalog
  US Government Resource, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA09-195A.html
  US Government Resource, third-party-advisory, x_refsource_CERT, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• isc.sans.org/diary.html
  Not Applicable, x_refsource_MISC, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• www.securityfocus.com/bid/35139
  Broken Link, vdb-entry, x_refsource_BID, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• osvdb.org/54797
  Broken Link, vdb-entry, x_refsource_OSVDB, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2009-1537
  GitHub Security Advisories
• github.com/advisories/GHSA-qvw7-mg6g-qm9m
  GitHub Security Advisories
• www.securitytracker.com/id
  Broken Link, vdb-entry, x_refsource_SECTRACK, NIST National Vulnerability Database
• oval.cisecurity.org/repository/search/definition/oval%3Aorg.mitre.oval%3Adef%3A6237
  Broken Link, vdb-entry, signature, x_refsource_OVAL, NIST National Vulnerability Database

Elsewhere on this site

Related CVEs (same products)

• High CVE-2015-2387 Microsoft ATM Font Driver Privilege Escalation Vulnerability KEV Jul 14, 2015
• High CVE-2015-2360 Microsoft Win32k Privilege Escalation Vulnerability KEV Jun 9, 2015
• High CVE-2015-1701 Microsoft Win32k Privilege Escalation Vulnerability KEV Apr 21, 2015
• High CVE-2014-6324 Microsoft Kerberos Key Distribution Center (KDC) Privilege Escalation Vulnerability KEV Nov 18, 2014
• High CVE-2014-6332 Microsoft Windows Object Linking & Embedding (OLE) Automation Array Remote Code Execution Vulnerability KEV Nov 11, 2014
• High CVE-2014-4077 Microsoft IME Japanese Privilege Escalation Vulnerability KEV Nov 11, 2014

Not in any source we poll

Listed rather than left blank: an empty field and an unmeasured one look identical on screen, and only one is a reason to look elsewhere.

• No confirmed IOCs, IP addresses, domains, file hashes, or malware artifacts supplied.
• No organization-specific asset inventory, compensating-control status, or patch deployment evidence supplied.
• No exploit packet captures, log samples, or incident case IDs supplied.

Answered from this record

Text assembled only from the fields above — no additional claims.

What should defenders know first?

CVE-2009-1537 is "Microsoft DirectX NULL Byte Overwrite Vulnerability", rated High. It affects Directx (Microsoft); versions are in the scope table. It is in CISA KEV: there is evidence of real-world exploitation. CVSS 8.8 describes technical severity. EPSS 51.21% estimates the probability of exploitation in 30 days; neither replaces your asset context. First verify whether exposed or business-critical assets run the affected versions, apply vendor fixes or mitigations, and preserve logs for review.

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